


Conversations

by irena_adler



Series: Watson [35]
Category: Numb3rs
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-06 16:10:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5423471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irena_adler/pseuds/irena_adler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Conversations that took place at least partially 'off-screen' during the story "Looking for Love"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Section 1 - “Tell me what?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Megan POV, Don, Colby & David) – Don tells his team about his injuries then Colby & David fill Megan in  
> [Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 16]

Originally published: 11/07/06 

**Title:** Conversations, Section 1  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 1 - “Tell me what?”  
(Megan POV, Don, Colby & David – Don tells his team about his injuries then Colby & David fill Megan in)  
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 16]

 **Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money.  
  
**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author!  
  
**Warnings: Lemon, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.**

 **A/N:** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

It was a typical Friday morning and Megan was looking forward to the weekend.Unless a big case came up today, she might actually _have_ a weekend and she was planning on driving up the coast and finding a quiet beach.An afternoon staring at the ocean should do wonders for her tired mind and body.

Work had been more stressful than usual lately, and it hadn’t been the cases.Something was wrong with Don, something serious, and she couldn’t figure it out, let alone help.David and Colby seemed reluctant to speculate and she couldn’t decide if it was a typical male aversion to discussing feelings … or something else.Maybe if she cleared her head enough, some clue that she hadn’t consciously noticed would surface.All she knew was that Don was hurting and he needed help, whether or not he’d acknowledge it. This week was the worst so far.

Megan was already at her desk when Don came in that Friday.He looked pale and tired like he had all week, but he also looked determined.Something had changed.Don gestured for her, David and Colby to join him in an interview room. _Why is he wearing a suit on a Friday?_

They sat down at the interview table and waited as Don closed the shades all around the office.Megan suppressed a shiver.Bad things happened in rooms with closed shades.She looked over at David and Colby who looked just as bewildered and apprehensive.

Don turned back to them and said abruptly, “Starting Monday, I’m putting myself on two weeks of medical leave.”

_Good!You could use it._ Out loud Megan said, “Your fingers? Are they not healing?”

“That will be the story that I tell people, yes,” Don said quietly.

“But?” David asked for all three of them.

Don looked even more tired, and something else, embarrassment?“But you guys deserve to know the truth.You trust me to be there for you and I’ve been an ass the last week and put you guys in danger.This was … brought to my attention last night and … I’m sorry.Thank god it was a quiet week.”He _had_ seemed particularly slow this week, both in mind and body.

Megan suppressed her usual urge to ask questions and just waited.

Sighing, Don unexpectedly began loosening his tie.“I got myself into a situation that I thought I could handle but I couldn’t.It got away from me, in a bad way.”His face and voice turned harsh.“I didn’t hurt my fingers playing basketball.”

Megan blinked and looked at Don’s splinted fingers.Then she forgot all about his fingers as Don unbuttoned his shirt.

Megan had seen Don shirtless at various times and had noted his muscular, well-shaped chest.Now that chest looked like it had been put through a meat-grinder.She stared, trying to identify the various marks – forty or fifty systematic cuts, as well as abrasions, burn wounds, welts.Don wasn’t done as he rolled up his sleeve and then rolled up his pant leg.On his arm were the remains of a deep, circular cut around his wrist and more of the same marks that covered his chest.On his leg, an even deeper, nastier cut around his ankle and more slashes, abrasions, welts.

_Oh god, Don…_

Don straightened back up, the look on his face bitterly amused.“And this is after a week of healing.Be very happy you didn’t see me a week ago.”

Megan swallowed, unable to imagine what it must have looked like a week ago. _Last Friday … what the hell happened?_

Don began the process of covering up his battered body, and said in almost a conversational tone, “It’s extensive.Bruises, cuts, abrasions, burns on every part of my body that isn’t covered with a suit.Some serious second-degree burns and some pretty significant anal tearing.My fingers were shattered into at least five pieces.I lost a great deal of blood and could have probably used a transfusion but I was too … stubborn to go to the ER.”

Words struggled through Megan’s mind … _covered_ … _anal tearing…shattered …transfusion…_

Colby got the question out first, the one Megan wanted to scream, “God, Don, what happened to you?”

David said slowly, “Wrist and ankle restraints …”

_Restraints?_ Still numb and uncomprehending, Megan found herself saying, “You’ve got to press charges.”

“No,” Don said firmly.” I do not.”

“But—“

Colby’s snapped out angrily another thought on Megan’s mind, “Why didn’t you call us?You needed help and you should have called us.”

Rubbing his forehead, Don looked tired and sad. “Because I’m an idiot.I didn’t want you guys to see what I’d gotten myself into.I was so sure that I could handle anything, but I was wrong.”

David frowned and asked bluntly, “If you were that badly injured, how did you survive?

_Yeah, Don, you could have died from your stubbornness._

Don grimaced. “Not because of any great feat on my part.A... friend helped me.He patched me up and got me through the first two days.”

_A friend?_ _Who do you trust more than your team or your family?_ “Who?” Megan demanded.

“No one you know.”Don was protecting someone, but that didn’t matter a great deal at the moment.“In fact,” he continued, “I owe you guys an apology for the last month.I haven’t been on my game for a while.”

_You think we didn’t see that?_ “We’ve noticed,” Megan said.“Ever since you were out of the office for two days because of ‘the flu.’”Then the all important question -- “What happened a month ago?” __

Don pressed his lips together and looked at Colby.Megan looked at Colby too.She had _known_ there was something Colby hadn’t been telling her.Colby appeared baffled for a moment then some terrible realization dawned on his face.He stammered, “Don … I didn’t realize.”

“Eh, it’s not your fault,” Don said, his voice strained and shaking.“I’d put … what happened in the category of the breath that toppled the whole shaky house of cards.”Megan ached for the pain in that voice.

David snapped, “What happened?”

Colby made a negative gesture and said, “Later.”

_You better believe you’re telling me later …_

Don had put his clothing back together and was straightening his tie.It was frightening how his suit covered up all those terrible wounds, making him look normal.He said, “I’ll be in the office all day today, doing paperwork and desk stuff.If there’s anything you know you’re gonna need from me in the next two weeks, now’s your chance.Talk among yourselves now, but when you leave this room, this is a closed subject.I’ll be at my desk.”

_That’s all we get?_ “Why—“ she started.

“That’s all I’m gonna say,” Don snapped, then gave her the faintest of smiles.“At least for now or anytime soon.”

Don shared a meaningful look with David and Colby.Some heavy communication passed in that look.“You can tell her, if you want.” Don said. “As much as you want, but I think she should know.”Don looked over at Megan.“It’ll give her analysis material for years.”

_Screw analysis material, what is going_ on _here?_

He pushed the door open then said to Colby, “Let me tell Charlie, okay?”Colby nodded.  


_Why would Colby …_ Megan felt like her head was about to explode with questions.

As Don let the door swing shut, Megan turned on David and Colby.“Tell me what?”

“Hang on,” David said and looked at Colby.“Was that what I thought it was?”

Colby grimaced.“Most likely.I haven’t seen anyone so thoroughly worked over since we rescued a guy from an enemy ‘interrogation room.’”

“And since Don didn’t want to press charges …” David said.

Colby put his head in his hands.“It must have been because he felt it was his fault.Dammit, dammit, _dammit._ ”

“What happened a month ago?”David asked.

Colby sighed and opened his mouth to reply.

“Wait, wait,” Megan interrupted firmly.“If someone doesn’t tell me what’s going on _right this instant_ I’m going to introduce you to a few of my favorite krav maga moves.”

Colby gave her a weak smile then looked at David.“You’re the one who started all this.”

David shook his head.“What a ridiculous series of dominoes this has been …”

Megan folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

David looked around the room as if searching for how to start.Finally David said, “So I don’t just like women … I like men too.”

Megan’s jaw dropped.Of all the things in the world that she would have predicted to come out of David’s mouth, this was not one.

“Yeah,” David shrugged.“Bisexual.”

Megan pulled her face back together then said, “Okay, I’m surprised but I’m okay with it.But what does that—“

David gave her a sideways smile.“It’s a really long story, but if you keep interrupting and saying things like, ‘Oh my god’ and ‘No way’, it’s gonna be even longer.”

Megan rolled her eyes.“Alright, sorry.I’ll try to restrain my ‘Oh my god’s.”

“Gonna be hard,” Colby said wryly.

“So …” David said, “It was early last summer and Colby and I did that long week on the stakeout of the Johnson brothers, remember?”

Megan nodded, figuring that was allowed.

“Well, it was a long week and I was bored and feeling punchy and I sort of … talked Colby into messing around.”

Megan felt her eyes grow wide and said silently, _Oh my god._

Colby smiled at her expression and said, “I’ve spent my whole life in the closet, a closet that I didn’t even acknowledge existed, and David here ‘outs’ me to myself in one afternoon.”

Megan bit down on a _No fucking way_.

“Yeah,” Colby said.“Quite a shocker to me too, especially given my army background and my family and …”He shrugged.“Don’t think I accepted this revelation easily.I fought it for months.”

“Tooth and nail,” David agreed.“But he was still interested in … particular activities even though he was denying what it meant.Then last winter we spent that week in Watson and, well, talked Don into joining us.”

Megan jumped to her feet.“Okay,” she snapped.“Now I know you’re putting me on.I don’t know what sort of sick joke this is when we need to be figuring out what happened to Don.”

David sat back, his face grim.“Don’t believe me?The evidence just walked out of this office.”

“What?”Megan demanded, “You’re claiming one of you did that?”

“No!”Colby looked shocked.

“Remember what I said about dominoes?”David said.

Megan frowned and slowly took her seat again.Colby and David couldn’t be making this all up.She didn’t think they would be messing around when Don … looked like that.

Colby picked up the story.“Watson, now that was one incredible week.We had, just wow, tons of fun.Don had some moments of serious anxiety about what we were doing, because we were his team but mostly because we were men.David and I thought by the end of the weekend that Don was okay with it.”

“But he wasn’t,” Megan said, starting to get a very bad feeling in her stomach.

“The three of us got together another time after that, out in the field,” David said.“And he seemed to be enjoying it all.Keeping it mentally separate from work and ‘real life.’Then Don and I, just the two of us, ended up messing around at his apartment one night.”

The image that this gave Megan wasn’t something that she wanted to dwell on.

David shook his head.“Not only did it cross over some mental barrier for Don, but Charlie walked in on it.”

Megan winced.“How did Don handle that?”

“Once again,” David sighed.“It seemed like he was okay with it.Or maybe I just wanted to believe that he was.”

“There were some consequences which were obvious pretty quickly though,” Colby said wryly.

“Um, yeah.”David looked embarrassed.“Charlie was … intrigued.And he totally chased me down and, well, insisted on a practical demonstration.”

“ _Charlie?_ ”Megan groaned and put her head in her hands.“What is this?I’ve stumbled onto some ridiculous sex farce.”

“I know,” David said.“It all just … happened.”

“So Charlie and David, for a while,” Colby said.“Don found out and beat David up.”

Realization dawned for Megan.“So _that’s_ what that fight was about.I’d never have guessed.Why didn’t I pick up on any of this?” _So much for my powers of observing people._

Colby shrugged.“Maybe because it was all so far fetched.”

“Still …” Megan said.“I should have noticed _something_.”

David gave her a half smile.“We ain’t done yet.Colby found out about me and Charlie and about ripped my head off.”

“I can understand why,” Megan said.Charlie was … Charlie.He was the team’s young, effervescent, obnoxious, wonderful little brother.The concept of sex and Charlie didn’t seem to connect, like your own younger siblings having sex.Thinking about it rationally, of course Megan knew Charlie must have had sex sometime.He’d had at least one girlfriend and then there was his little dance with Amita.

“I also found out,” Colby said, not bothering to disguise his envy, “that David had both Don and Charlie at the same time.”

Bile surged into Megan’s throat.“Oh _God_ ,” Megan said, “That’s sick.”

“We set up ground rules,” David said defensively.“And I like to think I orchestrated it so it was just weird, not sick.”

“You ‘like to think…’”Megan growled.

“Though I can help but wondering if that contributed to …” David pointed towards the door that Don had left through.

Megan shook her head in disgust.“What’s next? I know there’s more.”

“Well,” Colby said, “Don and I got together for a whole weekend once.That was pretty intense.We had a great time for the first two days then on Sunday morning it was like a switch had been flipped and Don was cold and rude and I left quickly.”

Megan nodded. _He was still struggling to deal._

“It was just a few weeks after that when Charlie and I got kidnapped.”

Grimacing, Megan remembered the long helpless hours and trying to keep Don calm.If there had been any leads, any suspects, Megan really didn’t know what Don would have done to them to find his brother and Colby.

“Charlie and I, we thought we were gonna die there.”Colby said, his eyes distant.“He got me to admit that I was in love with him.”

Megan’s eyebrows shot up.“And were you?”

“Of course I was, am!”Colby said, offended.“I wouldn’t just say something like that.”

“So …”

“After that, Charlie and me got together.I mean really together.He’s been half-living at my house for months.”

“Wow,” Megan said.“Is this serious?”

“Very,” Colby said firmly.“Very serious.”

“I see.”Megan looked at Colby for a long moment, trying to think beyond her personal shock.Colby and Charlie would indeed make a great pair, Charlie needing Colby’s strength and Colby needing someone to protect.She was sure it was a great deal more than that, but long-term relationships had been founded on a lot less.“Did Don find out?”

“Yeah, but he wasn’t nearly as upset about it this time,” Colby said.“Guess because he’d finally started thinking of his brother as an adult.”

“But he wasn’t happy,” David said.“And he hasn’t been interested in me since that time with Charlie.

“Then a month ago,” Colby said slowly, finally coming back around to David’s question.“Don wanted to mess around.I told him no, that I was Charlie’s now.He had a hard time accepting that and I’m afraid I had to hit him.”

The pieces fell together in Megan’s mind and she jumped to her feet, knocking over her chair.“Goddamn you two!” she said fiercely.“You’re like little boys playing with dynamite!First you introduce Don to a very frightening side of himself -- sexuality is one of the deepest rooted aspects of a person’s self-image.Then after you toy with him for a while, you abandon him.And not only abandon, but move on to his little brother!Don already has a big enough inferiority complex about Charlie, now it’s sexual as well!”

David and Colby winced and stared down at the table, looking for all the world like two boys in front of the principal.

Megan picked up her chair and threw herself into it.“Here I thought I worked with adults,” she grumbled.

The two men exchanged uncomfortable glances.

Megan rubbed her forehead.This Friday was not turning out how she’d hoped. “After hearing the whole ridiculous story, it’s pretty obvious what happened.”

Colby and David looked blank.

Megan glared at them.“What happened is that Don went out and found someone who cared about him even less than you do.Someone who fed on all of Don’s confusion and fear and self-hate until Don believed that he deserved being beaten up and burned and whatever else happened to him.”Remembering the pain and self-loathing in his voice, Megan shook her head.“Poor Don.God, what a ride you guys took him on.”

“You can’t blame us entirely for this,” David snapped.“Don did a very good job at hiding what he was going through.”

“Yes,” Megan said with irony. “He did.I think he even hid it very well from himself, until lately.”

Colby sighed.“No wonder he didn’t feel like he could call David or me when he got hurt.”

“Or me,” Megan said, “because that would require revealing at least some of what he’s been happening.We can only be grateful that there was someone that Don could call, whoever that was.”

“Billy Cooper?”David hazarded.

“Doubt it,” Megan said.“Cooper doesn’t seem like someone who’d be understanding to another’s weaknesses, though it’s hard to say.I do know that he would have killed whoever did this to Don, and Don would have had a different attitude about him.”

They sat in silence for a moment, racking their brains, but they couldn’t think of anyone that Don would have turned to after his … torture.He said that it had been a man, and Don wouldn’t have been able to reveal his vulnerability to a woman anyway.

Finally, Megan said, “So anyone want to remind me what the current status is in this crazy mess?I lost track with all the bed-hopping.”She did remember, but wanted to make sure.

“Charlie and me,” Colby said.“Committed.”

“David free and loose,” David said.

“Don under the thumb of some unknown bastard but rescued by some other unknown man,” Megan finished.“We’re investigators, we should be able to figure this out.”

“No!” David snapped.

Megan and Colby stared at him.

David said grimly, “If we go digging, people are going to find out.Another reason that Don didn’t turn to us is he knew this would ruin his career in the FBI.”

Colby winced and Megan nodded slowly.

“We can’t expose him,” David stated.

“So we do nothing?”Megan demanded.

“Yes,” David said simply.“We support him, help him, and wait for him to tell us who did this to him.”

“And if he doesn’t?”Colby asked.

“Then we ask him, privately,” David replied.

“And if he doesn’t want to tell us?”Megan said.

“Then we help him see reason,” David said with a sideways smile.“Surely the three of us can be that persuasive.”

“Okay,” Colby said, “but not too long.I can’t stand the bastard believing he got away with it.”

“Yeah,” David growled.

“Okay,” Megan said.Then she shook her head, utterly bemused.“You guys … all of you … are just unbelievable!Not one of you ever thought it might be a good idea to just keep your fly zipped?”

“If we had,” Colby said quietly.“Charlie and I would never have gotten together and that’s a pretty terrible prospect to me.”

Megan sighed.“So there was one good consequence—“

“And tons of great sex,” David grinned.

“—and at least one very bad consequence,” Megan finished.

David’s grin vanished.“Yeah.”

They sat in silence for a moment, absorbing the implications of the whole mess.

_God, what a series of dominoes …_

“Now what?”Colby asked at last.

“Now we give Don all the support he’ll let us but also make sure he doesn’t feel guilty for taking two weeks off,” Megan said.

David and Colby nodded and the three of them got up from the table.The two men left and Megan slowly opened the shades.Bad things did happen in rooms with the shades drawn.

_I wonder what sort of room Don nearly died in.Was it brightly light or dim?Cold or warm?Large or claustrophobic?Did Don see the knife as it carved up his body or did he close his eyes and hope that he would somehow find love and acceptance from the person wielding the knife?_ Tears filled Megan’s eyes and she stood holding on to the wall for a long moment.Then she got herself together, and went to do what she could for Don.

 


	2. Section 2 — “Go to him”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Colby POV, Charlie – After finding out about Don’s injuries.)  
> [Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 16]  
> 

**Title:** Conversations, Section 2  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 2 — “Go to him”  
(Colby POV, Charlie – After finding out about Don’s injuries.)  
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 16]  
 **  
Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money.  
  
 **Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author!  
  
 **Warnings: Lemon, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.  
**

  
**  
A/N:** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

 

The cell phone started ringing, playing “Black Math” by the White Stripes, and Colby grabbed for it. _Dammit, I hoped I could be there …_

“Charlie?”Colby said into the phone.

“Cole?”Charlie’s voice was small and wobbly.

“I’m just five minutes away, angel, okay?I’ll come by the house and pick you up.”

“But Don …”

“I know, I know.Just hang on. I’ll be there soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Charlie said distantly and hung up.

Colby swore again – at himself, at the traffic, at Don, at life – and raced towards Charlie.

He pulled up alongside Charlie’s house – more openly than he ever had before – and Charlie was just standing there on the sidewalk, looking completely lost.

Colby got out of the car, bundled Charlie into his passenger seat, and took off.There was a park less than two minutes away and he yanked the car into a parking space and got out.He opened the door to the back seat then Charlie’s door and half-dragged Charlie to sit in the back.He shut the front door then crawled in to sit next to Charlie.

Before the back door was even shut, Charlie was in Colby’s arms, sobbing.

Colby held him tight, stroking his hair and rocking him.Charlie buried his head into Colby’s shoulder and cried, “Why?Why why why why?”

“Shh,” Colby said soothingly, though his own throat ached with unreleased tears.“I’m here, angel.I’m here.”

Charlie sobbed into Colby’s shoulder for a long while until his shudders became gasps.He sniffled for another moment then lifted his head.

Colby bit his lip and wiped Charlie’s tear-stained face.Charlie was not someone who looked attractive when he cried.His eyes were red and his nose running, his hair plastered to his wet cheeks.Colby’s heart broke for the second time that day.

Charlie stared at Colby, his lower lip still trembling.“Cole, why?How could he hate himself that much?”

“He’s … hurting,” Colby said softly.

“I know, I _saw_.”

“I mean he’s hurting inside.”Colby said, pushing Charlie’s damp curls from his face.“He’s scared.”

“Don’s never scared,” Charlie stated stubbornly.“He’s never scared.”

“Everybody gets scared,” Colby said.“It’s normal.Don just doesn’t let anybody know he’s scared.”

“What is he scared of?”

“I’m not really sure, but I think himself.”

“Huh?”

Colby cleared his throat.“I think Don’s scared that he … might like men.”

“Don?”Charlie blinked.“But I thought it was just fun.”

“That’s probably what Don believed at first too.”

“But … it’s not?”

“I don’t know,” Colby said, stroking Charlie’s cheek. “But that’s my best guess.”

“Oh.”Charlie frowned down at his hands.“But why would he hurt himself like that?”

“Megan said,” Colby grimaced, remembering Megan’s very valid anger.“She said that Don found someone who encouraged all of his fear and confusion until Don believed that he deserved being beaten up and burned and stuff.”

“But …” Charlie said, struggling.“It’s Don.Don wouldn’t … Don never … it’s _Don_.”

“I know, angel,” Colby said softly.To Charlie, Don had always been the strong one, the in-control one.It must be frightening to see his invulnerable brother fall apart.Maybe that sort of hero-worship had even fed into Don’s downfall, not feeling like he could talk to anyone and ruin their perceptions of him.Colby pulled Charlie close and stroked his hair.

“What do I do?”Charlie asked against Colby’s shoulder.

“Well,” Colby said, trying to frame his thoughts.He’d never been good at giving advice, especially not about relationships.“I think you need to talk to your dad.”

“Don said Dad knows.”

“Okay, good.But you still need to talk to him.Your dad is a really wise man.”

“Yeah.”

Colby sighed.“Otherwise, just be there for Don.Just make sure he realizes that you still love him even though he’s … not Superman.If you still do.”

Sitting up, Charlie glared at Colby.“Of course I do!”

“It’s gonna be hard for him to believe that,” Colby said quietly.“I don’t think he feels at all worthy of love at the moment.”

“But he’s Don, the best big brother ever.”

“Tell him that, show him that, over and over until he believes you.”

Charlie nodded slowly.“Okay.I’ve never been very good at … I’ll try.”

“Good boy,” Colby smiled.“You’ve got tons of love in you, I know.”

Charlie lay back against Colby’s shoulder and they sat there for a while, just holding each other.Charlie wasn’t the only one who’d seen one of his heroes fall today.In just the short time Colby had known Don, he’d developed an intense respect for him.Don hadn’t lost that respect, just … changed it a little. _What courage it took for Don to admit to us what happened.He could have gone on like nothing was wrong, putting us all in danger._ Colby would also try to do his part to show Don that he still cared for him, as a co-worker and a friend.

“Cole?”Charlie asked quietly.

“Hmm?”

“Take me home.”

Colby sighed and started to pull away.“Okay, we’re just a few blocks away.”

“No,” Charlie said, grabbing Colby’s shirt.“Take me to our home, your apartment.I want to … I need to …”

Nodding, Colby took Charlie’s hand and kissed it.“Me too.”

Colby slid out of the car and opened up the passenger door for Charlie.He went around to his side of the car and got in.As he buckled up his seatbelt, he looked over at Charlie.Charlie’s hands were clutched together, his face pinched.Colby felt a flash of anger at Don for putting Charlie through this, then it was gone, replaced by sadness.

Tonight Charlie and Colby’s love-making would be slow and gentle and tender, as Colby tried to begin to rebalance Charlie’s world which had suddenly gone wobbly and unstable.To Charlie it must seem that one of his main supports had crumbled.A part of his foundation that had always felt rock-solid and constant had turned out to be … human.

Biting his lip against another surge of sadness, Colby put the car into gear and drove to their sanctuary.


	3. Section 3 - “We’ve been very patient”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Megan POV, Colby, David, Don) – Losing patience with Don’s unwillingness to reveal his tormentor then later trying to get Don to follow through  
> [Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 17]  
> 

**Title:** Conversations, Section 3  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 3 - “We’ve been very patient”  
(Megan POV, Colby, David, Don – Losing patience with Don’s unwillingness to reveal his tormentor then later trying to get Don to follow through)  
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 17]  
 **  
Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money.  
  
 **Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author!  
  
 **Warnings: Lemon, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.  
** ****

  
**  
A/N:** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

 

“It’s been a month,” Megan grumbled, stirring her coffee.

Colby glanced towards the door to make sure that Don was still on the phone at his desk.“Yeah, and he’s completely ignored any hints.”

“Guess we need to be more direct,” David said.

“He’ll just blow us off,” Colby said.

“Maybe we could put in terms he’ll accept,” Megan said thoughtfully.

“Or just jump him in the parking garage.”David grinned.

“Now that makes a lot of sense,” Megan snapped.“Beat him up to find out who beat him up before.”

“It was a joke,” David mumbled.

“Bad taste, dude,” Colby said and David gave an uncomfortable half-shrug.

Megan looked over and saw that Don was off the phone.Don ran a tired hand over his head, stood up and started heading towards the break room.

“Okay, guys,” Megan said.“Let me do the talking.”

“If he looks like he’s gonna be difficult,” David said.

“We’ll back you up,” Colby said.

Three determined nods, then they silently watched Don walk towards them.

 

“He’s delaying,” Colby said grumpily.“He’s gone over that same file five times now.”

Megan looked at her watch.It was after seven and Don hadn’t done anything but look at that file since five.

David stood up from his desk and said quietly, “Let’s do this.”

Megan and Colby nodded.Colby went around the right side of Don’s desk.

“Don?”Colby said.

Don jumped and looked at Colby.His attention distracted, Megan swooped in and snatched the file.Don tried to grab it back but she was too quick.

“Hey!” Don said.“I need to read that!”

“I think you’ve got this memorized already,” Megan said.

Don turned towards his computer, and David pulled Don’s chair backwards so Don could no longer reach the keyboard.

“I need to send an email!” Don protested.

“No more emails,” Colby said and leaned over and hit the combination of keys to lock the screen.

“Now up,” David said, “Or I can push your chair all the way to the elevator.”

Don looked around at the three faces and gave them a small smile.“This is mutiny!” 

“You betcha,” Megan said.“Now are you gonna move or do we need to force-march you at the end of a sword?”

“Got a sword?”Don said, his smile widening a little.

“I have a big knife,” Colby offered.

“Or that sword-shaped letter-opener,” David said.

“True,” Colby said.“Do I need to get my mini Excalibur?”

“Okay, okay, guys,” Don said, waving his hands.He got slowly to his feet.“Where’s my …”

Megan held up Don’s suit coat.“Right here.”

Don took the coat and turned towards the kitchen.

“Wrong way,” Colby said, blocking him.

“I’ve got a sandwich in the fridge,” Don said, trying to go around.

“No, you don’t,” David said cheerfully.“We ate it.”

“My turkey sandwich?”Don grumbled.“That was dinner.”

“We’ll go by In-N-Out,” Megan said.“Double-double animal style with tomatoes, fries well-done.”

“Sounds good,” Colby said.

Don gave him a mock glare.“You should already be full after eating my sandwich.”

Colby laughed.“That was hours ago.We’ve been watching you read the print off that file for hours.”

“It’s an important file.”

“Oh yeah,” Megan snorted.“The collected complaints of Mrs. Edward Jenkins, who thinks terrorists are ruining her cabbages.”

“Hey,” Don said, with a definite smile.“If we let them have our cabbages, they win.”

David chuckled and the three agents began herding Don towards the elevator.Don made a few feints but didn’t really try to break and run.He must have recognized the determination on their faces.All four of them were laughing by the time they got Don into the elevator and piled in behind him. 

Don watched the elevator door close and all laughter drained out of his face.Megan swallowed hard as a surge of anger at Don’s unknown tormentor threatened to choke her.David and Colby’s faces also grew hard and they rode the elevator down in silence.


	4. Section 4 – “Charlie’s support”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Charlie POV, Don, Alan) – Charlie tells Alan about Colby.  
> [Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 17]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 4  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 4 – “Charlie’s support”  
(Charlie POV, Don, Alan – Charlie tells Alan about Colby.)  
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 17] ****

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. ****

**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author! ****

**Warnings: Lemon, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.**

********

**A/N:** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

  


  


“Dad, can I talk to you for a second?”Charlie said, twisting his hands together.He looked over at Don who was leaning against the wall nearby.Don gave him an encouraging nod.Charlie was trying to keep his breathing under control but his chest heaved with nervous breaths.

His dad looked up from his newspaper at the serious tone in Charlie’s voice.“Sure, Charlie, what is it?”

Charlie reached in his pocket and touched the cell phone that was there.Colby was waiting for him less than two minutes away.All he had to do was call.Charlie squeezed the phone then released it.Don was here to keep things civil and his father wouldn’t … Wouldn’t what?What sort of reaction do parents have when learning that all of their hopes for a progeny’s future weren’t going to come to pass?What sort of reaction when they learn that their child is a social deviant in even more ways than they thought?Scorn, disgust, disbelief.All very normal reactions.But Charlie didn’t know if he could deal with his father’s scorn or disgust. _Good thing Mom won’t have to hear this too,_ Charlie thought bitterly, though he had a feeling that she would have understood more.His father who was, well, a man, and therefore societally conditioned to be less forgiving to sexual deviance and gender--

“Charlie?”Alan said, breaking into Charlie’s churning thoughts.

“Oh,” Charlie said, his voice shaking.“Yeah, I have something I need to tell you.”

“You can tell me anything,” Alan said firmly.

For a brief moment, Charlie believed him and cast about for a way to start.“You know how after I was kidnapped that I went and started sleeping most nights somewhere else?”

Alan nodded.

“Right, of course you noticed, I mean how could you not notice when I’m disappearing every night and not coming back until the morning?”

“I noticed,” Alan acknowledged.

“Well I’m sure you wondered where I was going but you’ll never believe where I went.”Charlie paced back and forth across the living room, unable to look his father in the face.“It wasn’t Amita, but I’d already told you that before though I don’t think you believed me.It wasn’t Larry either or … anyone else you can think of.

“First, it was just sleeping, I swear.”Charlie ran a hand through his hair.“I couldn’t sleep but with … this person, I could.I felt safe and didn’t keep waking up sure that someone was shooting at me.”

Charlie sneaked one last look at his father.Alan had pushed his chair back and sat, watching Charlie pace back and forth.He looked calm. _He has no idea what’s coming …_

Charlie fixed his eyes on the middle distance and returned to his pacing.“But it didn’t stay just sleeping.I knew that … this person cared for me and things just sort of evolved.You know how evolution tends to go from simple things to more and more complex organisms?What was between us started out simple and got more complicated but better, just like evolution.Well, not that evolution is always a movement in a positive direction but I’m sure this isn’t any dead-end evolutionary branch with some sort of unsurvivable mutation—“

“Charlie,” Alan said patiently.“Get to the point?”

“Point, point, right,” Charlie mumbled.He looked over at Don who was smiling slightly.He made a “go-ahead” gesture.

Charlie tried to ‘go-ahead’, he really did.“I guess evolution is a poor metaphor because furthering of the species is certainly not guaranteed here.Though modern techniques have made significant advances but I’m not sure if that’s circumventing evolution or aiding it—“

“Charlie,” Alan interrupted, sounding a little frustrated.“Please, just tell me who this person is that you’ve been seeing.”

“Seeing?”Charlie blinked, unable for a moment to understand what sensory perception had to do with the issue.“Oh, right, seeing.I guess that ‘seeing’ is an accurate term though other senses are involved as well, though I’m sure you didn’t really need me to explain that, given as you—“

“Charlie,” Alan said, shaking his head.“You’re getting nowhere.And considering I only have another forty or fifty years to live, I’ll give you a hand.”

“A … hand?”Charlie faltered.He stopped pacing and stared at his father.

“A hand,” Alan said firmly.“I can tell you that I’ve known who you’ve been seeing for quite some time now.”

“I know you think it’s Amita,” Charlie said, “But it’s not.”

“No,” Alan agreed.“It’s definitely not.But I want you to know what I’m okay with it.”

“How can you say that when you don’t know—“

“Colby,” Alan stated.“You’ve been seeing Colby Granger.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped open and he gaped at his father.Behind him, Don burst out laughing.Charlie’s eyes swiveled to Don and back to his father, utterly bemused.

“God, you boys must think I’m an idiot,” Alan said, shaking his head.“Not to figure out such a simple thing.The clues were all there.”

“… Clues?”

“Charlie,” Alan said, getting up from his chair and coming to take Charlie’s trembling hands.“I’m okay with you being in love with a man, I really am.”

“You … are?”

“Yes, I am.”Alan said firmly.“I’m glad that you finally felt like you could tell me.”He chuckled.“Though I got tired of waiting for you to spit it out.”

Charlie’s brain spun, unable to find traction.He had tried to prepare himself for all sorts of reactions, but relief and acceptance were not among them.“I don’t understand.Why aren’t you upset?”

Alan sighed.“The same question your brother asked me a month ago.The truth is that your mother and I always thought that you were gay, but when the years went by and you seemed perfectly happy with women, we figured maybe we were wrong.”

“You … and Mom always thought …?”Charlie had to pull away from his father and stumble to a chair.

“Yes,” Alan said.“All that really matters here is that you’ve found someone who you love and will be happy with.Are you happy with Colby?”

“Y-yes.”Charlie stammered, then realized that didn’t sound definite enough.“Yes, I am, we are, very much.”

“Good!”  Alan nodded.“So that’s that.”

“That’s … What about grandchildren?”

“As you said,” Alan winked.“Modern medical techniques are amazing.”

“But, but …” Charlie stumbled but couldn’t say anything more.

Alan looked past Charlie to Don, who was leaning against the wall, quaking with silent laughter.“Donnie,” Alan said, shaking his head. “You had entirely too much fun watching your brother stumble through that.”

“Yes,” Don said, his laughter bubbling out.“I did.But it was great to see from this side.”

Charlie blinked at them, unable to fathom what they were talking about. _Too many shocks to the brain at once._ Colby would have to—

“Colby!” Charlie said abruptly.Colby must be sitting in his car, still anxious and fearful.Charlie dug his phone out of his pocket and pressed a speed dial number. __

Colby picked up so fast he must have been sitting there with his thumb on the answer button.“Charlie you okay?” he asked with a rush.

“Yeah,” Charlie said slowly.“He knew.He _knew_.”

A startled pause.“What?”

“He’s known for months.”Charlie said then added with a grumble, “Don thought it was hilarious.”

“Don told him?”Colby snapped.

“No, no, Dad says he didn’t.Says he isn’t stupid and figured it out all by himself.”

“And he’s not … mad?”

Charlie shook his head.“No, he’s not mad.”

“He … he doesn’t _mind_?”

“No.”Charlie said, still dazed.“Says he’s glad I finally told him.Says he’s happy that I have someone I will be happy with.”

“… Oh.”

“Says he and mom always thought I might be gay but then when I was always with women, they thought they must be wrong.”

“Always … thought,” Colby echoed, obviously having as much trouble getting a handle on this as Charlie was.

“Charlie,” Alan called behind him.“I’ve got a pot roast in the freezer.Why don’t you invite Colby over for dinner?”

“Um,” Charlie said, staring at his father.

“Was that your dad?” Colby said in his ear.“What did he say?”

“He said to invite you over for dinner.”

“D-dinner?” Colby stammered.

“Yeah.”Charlie said dazedly.“Dinner.Come over?”

“Uh, okay, if you’re sure.”

“Yeah, see you in a minute.”Charlie closed the phone and blinked at nothing.He’d told his dad and the world hadn’t come to an end.He’d told his dad he was gay and his dad had said he’d known.He’d told his dad that he was sleeping with Colby and his dad had invited Colby over to dinner.

Around Charlie, reality broke up and began reforming, like it did when he finally grasped some fundamental math concept, like it did when he was able to look beyond that concept and the numbers grew new shapes … like it had when he’d realized he was in love with Colby.

Charlie pushed himself up from the chair and headed towards the kitchen.“Colby’s coming,” he called.“Better be a big pot roast!”

**  
**


	5. Section 5 – “Hit him _and_ kiss him”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Megan POV, Colby, David) – They discuss Don after the baseball game.  
> [Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 18]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 5  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 5 – “Hit him _and_ kiss him”  
(Megan POV, Colby, David – They discuss Don after the baseball game.)  
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 18] ****

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. ****

**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author! ****

**Warnings: Yaoi, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.  
**

  
**  
**

**A/N:** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

  


  


Megan knew she had a grin on her face but she couldn’t help it.“Guys!” she called to David and Colby and waved them over.They’d been sitting in the stands, eating popcorn, and making snide comments about the game.Charlie would have been plastered to Colby’s side but he had an evening class.Alan had been sitting next to Colby but was going now in the other direction.Megan wondered if Alan had seen the same thing that she had, but then again, Alan hadn’t been able to observe Don close up in the dugout.

“What’s up?”David asked.“I was making headway with the girlfriend of the DEA third baseman.”

“Good thing I stopped you,” Megan laughed.“We don’t want interdepartmental tension.”

David shrugged but didn’t look too disappointed.

“What are you grinning at?” Colby said, eyeing Megan.

“Just a speculation, but pretty grounded in evidence I think,” she said.“Come on, you can buy me a beer.”

Colby and David looked at each other then back at Megan, but she just waved for them to go ahead.She was enjoying her idea too much to share it quite yet.

As they drove to the bar where the FBI team was gathering, David hassled Megan about her catching technique, which mostly involved making fun of the protective gear she had to wear.Megan tossed back zingers about David sitting on his ass in the stands while real agents protected the FBI’s reputation.

At the bar, Megan waited for her promised beer before she’d say anything more.David went to get the beers and Colby looked around.

“Hey, where’s Don?”Colby said.“Gotta congratulate him for that catch.”

Megan’s grin grew wider and Colby eyed her.“What do you know?” he asked suspiciously.

David set the beers down on the table and Megan took a long drink of hers.Catching was thirsty work.Not to mention that her knees would be aching tomorrow.

“So,” Megan said, putting down her glass and commanding the attention of the other two agents.“What did you guys think about the second inning?”

David frowned, trying to remember.“You mean when Don got thrown out at third base?”

“Yes, and before that?”

“Don stole second,” Colby said.

“And before that?”

Colby and David looked annoyed but Colby said, “The pitcher lost the ball and nearly hit Don.”

“And then Don nearly flattened the pitcher with his return hit,” Megan finished.

“True,” David said, “What are you driving at?”

“Well, keep that in mind while I tell you about Don in the dugout for the first inning.”Picking up her glass, Megan sat back in her chair and smiled at the memory of Don’s expression.“Don was watching the pitcher, Will Stevens, the whole time.”

“So, that doesn’t—“Colby started.

“He couldn’t take his eyes off of him. He was watching him like a man crawling through the desert who sees a fountain of water and wants it to be real but fears it’s a mirage.”

“Huh?” David said.

Megan smiled.“I asked him if he knew the guy and he said he’d met him once.I said that it must have been some meeting, since it looked like he couldn’t decide whether to hit or kiss him.Then check this out, Don actually _blushed_.”

“Blushed?”Colby laughed.“Don?”

“Yeah, he said, is it that obvious, and I said only if you have eyes, and he said I’ll try to be less obvious and I said that him being so obvious was adorable.”

“Adorable,” David repeated.

“Then he walked away from me and grabbed his bat.”During the later innings Megan had also noticed that Don was having serious trouble not getting aroused.She would keep that to herself. _Was fun to watch though._

“Huh,” Colby said, “So Don’s lusting after some guy.A good sign after all he’s been through but not enough to get all excited about.”

“I lusted after that pitcher too,” David added.“He’s _fine_.”

“Yeah, I’ll admit that I did too,” Megan grinned. “But with Don it wasn’t just admiration, it was … a sort of desperate hunger.” __

Colby rolled his eyes.“Are you sure you aren’t exaggerating?”

“Remember all that stuff that happened in the second inning?”Megan said triumphantly.“If that wasn’t the mating dance of two alpha males, I don’t know what would be.”

David and Colby stared at her then broke out laughing. 

“You know,” Colby said. “You might be right.”

“Way too many years of psych training says I’m right,” Megan replied.“But here’s the kicker.I was talking with one of the DEA players in the locker room and managed to work the conversation around to where the DEA did a major drug raid four months ago.”

David frowned in incomprehension but Colby sat up straight.“You’re kidding …”

“Nope,” Megan said with satisfaction.“Four months ago the DEA broke up a drug ring based at a local BDSM club.”

David blinked.“Not The Chamber …”

“Yup.”

“But …” Colby said.“How did this Stevens guy … Don didn’t get caught!”

“I don’t know exactly how it happened,” Megan shrugged.“But I think it’s pretty darn likely that Will Stevens was the unknown friend who helped Don when Channing hurt him.”

David and Colby nodded slowly.

“I wonder,” David said, his face growing grave.“If that DEA raid may have even interrupted Channing.”

Megan pursed her lips.“I wondered that too.”

“Interrupted—“ Colby said, alarmed.“You mean that if there hadn’t been a DEA raid then Don might have …”

“Died there,” David finished.“What a horrible end for him.”

A moment of grim silence then Megan shook off the mood and put a smile on her face.“Well, the raid did happen and Don did make it out of there and everything worked out okay.”

Colby and David were still frowning.

“And the best thing,” Megan said cheerfully, “is that Don left after the game with Will.”

“Oh?”Colby said, his face brightening.“You saw them leaving together?”

“More like Will driving his car and Don following behind in his car, but definitely going to the same place.”

David smiled slowly.“Don is getting himself some of that?”

Megan laughed.“Hopefully.Though from Don’s face at the game, they hadn’t seen each other for months.Probably some sort of ridiculous male pride thing.Don would not have liked anyone seeing him that low.”

“But it sounds like Don got over it,” Colby grinned.

“Wouldn’t you know it,” Megan said with an exaggerated sigh.“All the good men are taken or gay …” She eyed Colby.“Or both.”

Colby and David laughed.

Megan pursed her lips.“Colby, you can’t tell Charlie anything about this.It’s just a guess and even if it’s true, let Don be the one to tell his family.”

Colby nodded.

David lifted his beer glass.“To gorgeous DEA pitchers.”

Colby lifted his glass.“To blushing FBI first basemen.”

Grinning, Megan lifted her glass and said, “To Don getting himself some of that.”

They clinked glasses and drank.

  



	6. Section 6 — “That’s weird but cool!”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Alan POV, Charlie) – After Will walks through the door with Don.  
> [Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 23]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 6  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  


Section 6 — “That’s weird but cool!”  
(Alan POV, Charlie – After Will walks through the door with Don.)  
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 23]

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. ****

**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author! ****

**Warnings: Yaoi, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.  
** **  
**

****

****A/N:** ** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

  


  


 

“Dad!”Charlie said, his eyes wide as he walked into the kitchen.“Don brought home … a guy!”

Alan looked up from his lasagna and chuckled at the expression on his youngest son’s face.“I know.And I hope to god that this is the same person that’s Don’s been pining after for the last couple of months.”

Charlie blinked.“Pining?”

“Yeah,” Alan said.“Pining.Don may not be as obvious as you are when you’re having romantic troubles but he’s had all the symptoms – staring off into space, sighing for no apparent reason, getting agitated and leaving when a romantic scene comes on in a show.”

“But … a _guy_!”Charlie said again, as if Alan hadn’t grasped the fact.

“Yes, Charlie.”Alan said patiently.

“You’re not surprised?”

“I knew this was a possibility.”

“You knew …”Charlie’s forehead wrinkled in confusion.“Who is he?”

Alan thought about telling Charlie that this was the man who’d saved Don’s life, career, and everything else when his oldest son had self-destructed.However, that was Don’s story to tell.“He’s Don’s boyfriend.”

“’Boyfriend?’Don said that?”

“Yup.”Alan peeled the cover off the lasagna and began cutting it.

“Wow, boyfriend.”Charlie said slowly, and then, with sudden realization, “Dad, we both have boyfriends!”

“I’ve noticed,” Alan said wryly.

“Isn’t that … weird?”

“Yes, it’s weird,” Alan laughed.“But the Eppes family has never been normal, why stop now?”

“But …”Charlie waved his hands.“What about grandchildren!”

“I know,” Alan sighed.“Maybe I’ll just have to join some Make-Me-A-Grandfather organization.”

Charlie’s eyebrows rose.“I don’t think there is such a thing.”

“There’s Big Brothers and Big Sisters organizations.Why not one for lonely old men and kids who need spoiling and lots of useless advice?”

While Charlie pondered that, Alan picked up the lasagna and went out to find his oldest son and a man he needed to learn a lot more about.

 


	7. Section 7 — “I didn’t mean to …”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Alan POV, Charlie) – After Will kisses Charlie  
> [Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 24]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 7  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 7 — “I didn’t mean to …”  
(Alan POV, Charlie – After Will kisses Charlie)  
[Takes place during Looking for Love, Part 24]

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. **  
**  
Feedback: Yes, please! Feed the author! **  
**  
Warnings: Yaoi, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18. **  
**

********

******A/N:** **** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

  


“Dad?”

Alan looked up from his blueprint to see Charlie standing before him, looking worried and unhappy.“What’s wrong?”

Charlie swallowed.“Did I …”He pressed his hands together and quickly paced across the room and back.

“Did you what, Charlie?”Alan asked patiently.Sometimes his brilliant son forgot that words actually needed to be said to be heard.

Charlie stopped in front of Alan and asked earnestly, “Did I … steal Colby?”

Alan sat back.“From Don you mean?”

Charlie nodded miserably.

“Depends on how you look at it.”

“But, I didn’t mean to!”

“I know, I know,” Alan said soothingly.He pushed out a folding chair.“Sit down.”

Charlie slowly sat down.

“Did you know your mother was engaged when we met?”

Charlie blinked.“She was?To who?”

Alan leaned back in his chair and looked into the far past.“Danny Fouts.He was a guitar player in a band, very smart and cool.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, and I thought that I should just forget this intriguing woman because she was already taken.”

“But you didn’t.”

Alan shook his head and smiled, remembering Margaret as he had first seen her.“I tried to, but I really couldn’t.I’m afraid I kissed her the first time even knowing she was still engaged.That week she broke off her engagement.”

“So you stole her from the other guy?”

“In a way, yes,” Alan shrugged, embarrased.“But sometimes you just know when you’re meant to be with a person.I didn’t want to hurt Danny, he was a nice guy, but I did.”

Charlie blinked thoughtfully.

“Don’t take this as an excuse to go around stealing people’s girlfriends – or boyfriends, but sometimes it’s the right thing for everyone.”

Slowly, Charlie nodded.He looked at the floor for a moment then said, “Will and Don, they’re good together, aren’t they.”

“Yes,” Alan said, surprised by his own conviction on the matter.“I never would have picked Will for Don in a million years, but yeah, they’re good together.Will seems to make Don happy, and that’s really all I ask.Especially with the last few months for Don.”

Charlie frowned.“Did I … make that stuff happen cause I stole Colby?”

“Oh Charlie,” Alan said, patting him on the knee.“I’m sure it was part of it but don’t blame yourself for it.It’s possible that Don’s relationship with Colby would have disintigrated anyway.Your brother was hurting and sometimes people who are hurting do stupid things.”

“Very stupid things,” Charlie said fiercely.

“Yeah …”Alan sighed.

Charlie nodded, got to his feet, and wandered out of the room.Alan watched him go. _Forgive me, Margaret, for fudging the truth a little._ Alan smiled to himself and returned to his blueprint.

  


**  
**


	8. Section 8 — “Convince him we’re okay”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Will POV, Don, Charlie) – After Will and Don’s conversation in the solarium  
> [Takes place directly after the end of Looking for Love]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 8  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 8 — “Convince him we’re okay”  
(Will POV, Don, Charlie – After Will and Don’s conversation in the solarium)  
[Takes place directly after the end of Looking for Love] ****

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. ****

**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author! ****

**Warnings: Yaoi, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.** **  
**

************ ** **

**********A/N:** ******** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

  


  


“Hey Chuck,” Don called.

Will smiled and followed Don down the hallway.Will could tell without asking that Charlie hated that nickname – it had the same feel as “Cee-cee” that his sister Cindi hated.Of course, he called her that as often as possible.

“Hey Chuckie,” Don called again.“Where are you?”

Charlie came out of a far room, a frown on his face.“What?” he said defensively.

Don held up his hands.“Truce, okay?”

Charlie’s eyes slid to Will and Will felt uneasy. _Did I mess up any possibility of being friends with Don’s brother just to prove a point?_

“You aren’t going to hit me?”Charlie mumbled.

“Charlie!”Don said, his voice shocked.“I haven’t hit you since … I don’t know, I was twelve or something.”

“But …” Charlie said, waving his hand at Will.

Don rolled his eyes.“You get upset at things you shouldn’t and don’t get upset at things you should.”

“Sorry,” Charlie sighed.

In just one evening, Will was starting to realize what Don’s life with Charlie had been like.Charlie was from another planet – a very smart, emotional, and easily distracted planet.No wonder Don felt like he had to be an anchor for his brother, the brilliant dragonfly.

“Hey, hey,” Don said, stepping close and putting his arm around Charlie’s shoulder.“I’m not mad at you.”

“You aren’t?”Charlie said, hopefully.

“Naw, buddy.”Don said quietly.“I know you aren’t gonna steal this boyfriend.”

Charlie looked unhappy again.“I didn’t mean—“

Don ruffled Charlie’s hair.“Will’s mine and Colby’s yours and that’s all that really matters, okay?Things got really weird there for a while but everything worked out.”

_Weird is one word for it.‘Hell’ is another._ Will leaned against the wall and watched the two Eppes brothers together.They really were a lot alike.Will tilted his head and looked at Charlie.If he’d met Charlie first, would he have fallen for him? _Naw …_ Will smiled to himself.Don fit into his soul like the pieces he’d been missing all his life.Charlie was cute and even intriguing, but he would have been just another guy in a long line of interesting guys.For Will, that line stopped here, with the other Eppes.Will let his eyes dwell on Don, ever surprised by the reality of him.

Charlie gave Don a sideways smile.“It did work out, didn’t it, like a self-balancing system.”

“Sure, a self-balancing system.”Don smiled back.

“Did you know,” Charlie said, “That our neural cellular system makes extensive use of self-balancing in order to transition between states?The system is continually in transition and never really has any one state, which makes it a true dynamic system.”

“That’s you,” Don said with a laugh.“A truly dynamic system.”

Charlie’s eyes turned to Will and Will recognized the look in them.It was the same look that Don got when he was completely absorbed in a complex case.Charlie said, “I’m creating a theory of cognitive emergence, the math of brain.There’s actually quite a lot of interesting work being done—“

Shaking his head, Don took his arm from Charlie’s shoulders.“You can tell Will all about it later.He’ll probably understand more of it than I do.”

“Doubt it,” Will said, smiling at Charlie.It was impossible not to like Charlie.He positively radiated enthusiasm and intelligence.Will’s eyes slid off of Charlie to Don and he held out his hand.“You were gonna show me around your house.”

Don took his hand, the gesture natural and wonderful, and said to Charlie, “See ya later.”

Charlie nodded and put his hand in his pockets then wandered towards the television, his face thoughtful.Will watched him go and shook his head. _He’s probably thinking about self-balancing cellular systems._

“What an odd childhood you must have had,” Will mused.

“It had its moments,” Don said.

“I’ll bet,” Will said.“Show me the rest of the house?You guys have kept this place in really good shape.”

“My dad does that.Charlie has a hard enough time remembering not to flood the bathroom.”

Don showed Will around the house, upstairs and down.It was a lovely house and Will enjoyed picturing the adolescent Don in every room.In the living room, Don even pulled out a few old pictures, showing a serious teenage Don with a big-eyed Charlie-shadow.Will grinned at Don’s prom picture.Don looked so stiff and nervous with his arm around a girl in way too much taffeta.Will’s smile faded as he remembered his own prom and being unable to show up there with a boyfriend.He abruptly reached over and pulled Don in for a kiss.

After kissing him back, Don asked, “You okay?”

Will shook off the shadow of his past and smiled at his present and future.“I believe you said something about your old bedroom?”

Don’s eyes lit up and he led Will back up the steps to his room.He went into a bedroom that Will had only glimpsed before.It was decorated now like a generic guest room, but Will could see traces of a teenage boy’s room underneath.On the desk was a framed photo of Don in full baseball regalia.Will shut the door behind them.

Don went over to the desk and picked up the picture. “This is from when I thought I’d be a pro ball player.”

“Hard to picture,” Will said.Don seemed like such perfect Bureau material that it was hard to see him ever wanting to do anything else.

“Yeah, well, boyhood fantasies die hard.”

Will grinned and moved towards Don.“Speaking of boyhood fantasies …”

Don turned and reached for him.Will closed the distance between them, pressing his body against Don’s, pushing him back against the desk.Don’s mouth met Will’s and Will’s tongue dove beneath Don’s lips.They kissed hungrily, deeply, as Will banished any lingering taste in his mouth from Charlie.Don’s lips under his own were sweet and fiery and physical, just like the man.

Will pulled back, panting a little.He loved how Don looked after just being thoroughly kissed.Though that wasn’t nearly as good as he looked after just being thoroughly fucked.Will’s cock woke up and began throbbing at the thought.He would never get tired of Don’s ass clenching around him, Don’s whimpers as Will teased Don’s oh-so-sensitive prostate.Still, this was Don’s fantasy they were exploring.

Will’s hand moved down Don’s hips.“I think I deserve a reward for meeting your family tonight.”

“Oh?”Don said, his hands going to Will’s ass.“What kind of reward?”

Will’s hand slid in between their bodies and found the hardening shape of Don’s cock.“You,” Will growled.

Before Don could respond, Will dropped to his knees and began nuzzling Don through his jeans.Don gave a sound that was halfway began a laugh and a moan.Will quickly unzipped Don and pulled down his jeans and underwear.Don’s ready cock sprang free and Will licked it with the flat of his tongue from base to tip.Don leaned back and braced himself with one hand against the desk.His other hand buried itself in Will’s hair.

Will sucked Don’s cock into his mouth and Don’s hand tightened in Will’s hair.Will loved it when Don pulled his hair.It wasn’t a comfortable thing, but when Don did it, it meant that he was totally absorbed in the sex, his normally controlled touch turned rough with passion.

Using one hand to steady Don’s cock and the other to toy with his balls, Will brought all of his considerable cock-sucking experience and technique to bear.His own mind was full of images of teenage Don stroking himself, his eyes closed, his hand pumping. _Bet he never imagined how good this can be._

Indeed, Don was groaning above him, completely oblivious to his family just downstairs.This unexpected exhibitionistic streak sent a thrill through Will.This was definitely a side of Don he’d have to explore more …Sex with Don was never going to get old or routine.

Don’s groans were growing louder, more urgent and Will released him.Will got up from his knees and slowly stripped, giving Don time to pull back from the brink.Don’s eyes were heavy-lidded and dark, his gaze caressing every inch of Will’s skin as he exposed it.Don’s saliva-coated cock twitched against his stomach as he watch Will strip.After Will was completely naked in front of him, Don quickly shed his own clothing.

Don stepped close to Will, turned him around and shoved him down to the bed.Don spit several times and Will felt hot saliva running down his asscheeks and pooling in his asshole.Then Don’s mouth was at his asshole and Will gasped.Don’s lips and tongue were forceful, demanding, and Will was quickly shuddering underneath the onslaught, moans leaking out between Will’s closed lips.

Will felt Don pull away and Will tried to catch his breath.No, sex with Don was never going to get routine.From moment to moment it could change character from hard to soft, passive to aggressive, fast to slow, from making tender love to fucking each other’s brains out.They’d been lovers less than three weeks and they could already read each others needs and wants as easily as breathing.

Don was digging in Will’s discarded jeans for the spare condom he always kept there.Don pulled out the condom and opened the package.He looked up at Will and Will shivered with anticipation at the naked lust in his face.

“On your knees, on the bed, up against the wall,” Don commanded, and rolled the condom down over his rigid cock.

****  
** **


	9. Section 9 —“Then we’re gonna ditch him”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Charlie POV, Alan, Will, Don) – Charlie hears Will and Don upstairs.  
> [Takes place shortly after the end of Looking for Love]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 9  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  
Section 9 —“Then we’re gonna ditch him”  
(Charlie POV, Alan, Will, Don – Charlie hears Will and Don upstairs.)  
[Takes place shortly after the end of Looking for Love]

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. **  
**  
Feedback: Yes, please! Feed the author! **  
**  
Warnings: Yaoi, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18. **  
**

************** ** ** **

  
************A/N:** ********** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

 

 

 

Charlie was watching TV, absently drawing Venn diagrams on a notepad, when Alan joined him.Will and Don had disappeared upstairs, probably to laugh over Don’s teenage bedroom and pull out his old Talking Heads albums and stash of girlie magazines.

Alan sat down on the couch next to Charlie.“Whatcha watching?”

“M*A*S*H.”

“Sounds good.”Alan said.

“It’s the one where Hawkeye—“Charlie stopped abruptly, as he heard something from upstairs.

It was a laugh, a thump, and then a groan that sounded like Don, then another groan and another.Charlie and Alan stared at each other then Alan rolled his eyes and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me …”

“Are they …?” Charlie gasped.

Alan grumbled, “It’s like having teenagers again, but I can’t go up there and break it up because they’re not teenagers anymore.”A louder groan sounded from upstairs and Alan grimaced and turned the TV up.“Doesn’t he have his own place?”

Charlie jumped to his feet.“I’m gonna go outside and get some work done.”  


“Glad you’ve got a refuge,” Alan said, turning the TV up even more.

Charlie walked out of the room towards the garage, but when he was out of sight, he turned and sneaked upstairs.He tiptoed down the hall, halting at each sound coming from Don’s room, then went to his room next door.Leaving the light off, he quietly shut the door and went over to a beanbag, conveniently situated right next to the wall his room shared with Don’s.

The walls of the house were not thick and Charlie could hear every moan and murmur.He’d used to sit here and listen when the parents were gone and Don brought a girl home.The first time Charlie had ever jerked off was to the sounds of Don grunting and Don’s bed shaking.Charlie was always quiet and careful and never got caught.

Or maybe, just maybe, Don didn’t mind that Charlie listened.There had certainly been times that Don could have found Charlie out but he never seemed to.Maybe Don liked showing off his sexual prowess, liked demonstrating something he did so much better than his genius little brother.Don was certainly very noisy, and for Charlie’s teenage years, Charlie’s nebulous sexual fantasies always had the soundtrack of Don’s passion-soaked voice.

This time was different though.The voice that joined with Don’s was deep, masculine, and coming from the incredibly sexy man that Charlie had tried not to stare at all dinner.He was nothing on Colby, but still …

Did Don let Will fuck him?Somehow Charlie doubted it.Don would always be the one on top, the one in control.Still, there was something about the way Don and Will were together, a sort of shared dominance, that made Charlie wonder …

_Don on all fours, his knees spread.Will taking him from behind, his cock plundering Don’s ass.Don helpless and moaning beneath him._ A delicious jolt of arousal shot through Charlie.He settled deeper into the beanbag chair and rubbed his crotch.

Too bad Colby couldn’t have been here tonight.They could have had dueling sex in next-door rooms. _Or in the same room …_ Charlie bit his lip and shifted his position to adjust his already throbbing cock.

Multiple thumps and the wall shook slightly then Charlie heard rhythmic grunts. _Someone is getting fucked up against the wall._ Charlie whimpered and unzipped his jeans.Don’s bed was right next to the wall but this was even closer than just the bed.Charlie pulled out his aching cock, spit into his palm, and began stroking himself in sync with the grunts.He closed his eyes and his mind easily painted the scene in the next room – _Will on his knees on the bed, pressed against the wall, Don on his knees behind Will, Don’s delicious cock stroking that gorgeous ass.Both of their bodies naked and glistening with sweat._

Charlie swallowed another whimper, wishing for Colby’s tight round ass or his hot mouth around Charlie’s cock.Charlie’s own hands would have to do for now and he pulled on his balls while pumping his cock up and down, with a little twist at the top of each stroke.

The thumping sped up, and Charlie could hear Don’s incoherent groans mixed with little moans that must be from Will.Charlie thrust his cock frantically against his hand, his hips rising from the beanbag with each thrust.When Will and Don both moaned loudly and the thumps turned into wild banging, Charlie was ready.Charlie moaned too and exploded all over his hand and jeans.He pumped along with each sound until Will and Don slowed down and Charlie did too, gasping and his hand around his cock trembling.

Charlie closed his eyes and sank back against the beanbag.Jerking off as a teenager had never been this good, but then he’d never had this intense of mental stimulation before.Once he could make his wobbly legs stand again, Charlie was going to find Colby and demand a fuck - in the laundry room if he had to.

“ _Aein_?”Will must still be leaning against the wall because Charlie could hear Will’s voice clearly as he used the word that seemed to be his and Don’s secret endearment.

“Hmm?” Don replied, his voice heavy with recently-spent passion.

Will said languidly, “Maybe next time your brother can join us instead of just listening.”

Charlie sat bolt upright as Don cracked up laughing.

“Maybe so,” Don chuckled.“Maybe so.”

****

  



	10. Section 10 – “In the laundry room, if he had to”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Charlie POV, Colby) – Charlie goes to find Colby.  
> [Takes place shortly after the previous section]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 10  


**Pairing:** Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:**   Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  


Section 10 – “In the laundry room, if he had to”  
(Charlie POV, Colby – Charlie goes to find Colby.)  
[Takes place shortly after the previous section]

**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. ****

**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author! ****

**Warnings: Yaoi, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.  
** ****

  
**  
**

****A/N:** ** This is a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...

  


 

Colby leaned against a washing machine in the laundry room of his apartment complex and watched his laundry tumble in the dryer.He wasn’t really thinking of anything.As a soldier he’d gotten very good at waiting.When a thought did flicker across his mind, it was usually of Charlie.

The laundry went round and round … That khaki T-shirt was from the park in the Santa Monica Mountains where he and Charlie had gone hiking.He’d discovered that Charlie could out-hike him and hit the exercise room with more determination after that.… That red dress shirt was the one he’d worn when he’d attended one of Charlie’s “Math for Dummies” classes, and Charlie had later spilled coffee on it in his enthusiasm to explain when he’d unwisely asked a question about the class. … That pair of jeans was what he’d been wearing the night that Charlie told his father about them.Dinner that night with the Eppes had been so nerve-wracking that Colby had been sticky with sweat.Not that Mr. Eppes— _Alan_ had made him feel unwelcome.Quite the opposite which had completely unnerved Colby.Dinners since then had become much easier.He was even learning to recognize Alan’s particular sense of humor. … Colby’s golf socks from his first time golfing with Charlie.He’d had to hide a number of laughs at Charlie’s frustration that his math didn’t give him an edge. … The laundry went round and round …

Since he was used to Charlie’s idiosyncrasies, Colby wasn’t surprised when Charlie showed up in the door of the laundry room.

“There you are!”Charlie said, sounding a little breathless.

“Had to do my laundry in a laundry room, how odd,” Colby grinned.

Charlie made a beeline to Colby and practically tackled him, shoving him back against the washer and kissing him urgently.Colby responded back, pulling Charlie tight against his body and sliding his tongue between Charlie’s hungry lips.

Charlie’s hands fumbled at Colby’s waistband and Colby realized that Charlie intended on getting Colby naked right this moment.

“Whoa, whoa,” Colby laughed, pushing Charlie gently away.“Don’t want some old lady with a load of dirty towels to get an eyeful.”

“Why not?” Charlie grumbled, reaching again to unbutton Colby’s shirt.

Colby shook his head, amused.“What got you all revved up?”

“Will,” Charlie mumbled, sliding his fingers between the buttons to stroke Colby’s bare chest.

“You will what?” Colby grabbed Charlie’s hands.He couldn’t think when Charlie did that.

“Will Stevens,” Charlie said, leaning forward to kiss Colby’s neck but Colby danced away.Charlie sighed and said, “He’s Don’s boyfriend.Don brought him over to meet me and Dad tonight.”

“Oh!”Colby said, surprised and delighted.So Don had indeed found someone and Megan had figured it out weeks ago.She’d be insufferable now.Colby grinned.Then the meaning of what Charlie had said caught up with him. 

Colby frowned.“This Will Stevens got you all revved up?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, still trying to kiss him.

Colby’s grip on Charlie’s hands tightened and Charlie looked up, surprised.

“He’s that sexy, hmm?” Colby said stiffly.

“Well,” Charlie said, stumbling.“He kissed me and it was pretty intense.”

“He _what?_ ” Colby snapped.

Charlie gave him a nervous smile.“He kissed me.He said that I was the competition and he wanted to show Don that he preferred him.” 

“ _What?_ ” Colby said again, in disbelief.

“Don said that I stole you from him,” Charlie said, his brown eyes wide and anxious.“And that Will was his and I wasn’t going to steal him.”

“Stole me?”Colby growled, anger shooting through him at this arrogant man who would dare accuse and hurt Charlie.“More like I moved on to bigger and better things.”

“I certainly think that Don is bigger than—“

“Come on.”Colby turned towards the door and pulled Charlie along with him.“Is this Will guy still there?We’re gonna go talk to him.”

“They’re … they’re probably done.”

“Done?”

“Yeah,” Charlie said, falling into his nervous babbling mode.“They were having sex in Don’s room.I listened and it was pretty hot so I wanted to come get you—“

Colby growled incoherently, feeling like this Will had doubly violated Charlie.

“What about your laundry?”Charlie asked, gesturing back at the still running dryer.

“Screw it,” Colby snapped and marched towards his car, Charlie in tow.

 


	11. Section 11 – “We’re gonna go talk to him”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Will POV, Colby, Charlie, Don) – Colby and Will have some things to say to each other.  
> [Takes place shortly after the previous section]

**Title:** Conversations, Section 11 of 11  


**Pairing:**

Various  


**Rating:** Overall FRAO (NC-17)  


**Summary:** Conversations that took place during "Looking for Love"  


Section 11 – “We’re gonna go talk to him”  
(Will POV, Colby, Charlie, Don – Colby and Will have some things to say to each other.)  
[Takes place shortly after the previous section]

  
**Disclaimer:** Not my characters, not my world, making no money. ****

**Feedback:** Yes, please! Feed the author! ****

**Warnings: Yaoi, M/M. Do not read if you are under 18.  
** **  
** ****A/N:**** This is the last of a series of conversations that took place at least partially "offscreen" during my recent story, [Looking for Love](http://irena-adler.livejournal.com/11980.html). I decided I wanted to find out what happened during these conversations and some of them have surprised me quite a bit ...  It's been a lot of fun writing these, since conversation is one of my favorite things to write. (Internal monologues being the other - no, not sex --Writing sex is hard!)

 

Will leaned his cheek against Don’s hair and smiled with contentment.Earlier tonight he and Don had finally talked about some of the things they’d needed to.They’d vowed truth in their relationship, but sometimes still avoided uncomfortable topics. _Only human nature._ Will stretched his long legs out and propped them up on the coffee table.Don snuggled closer to him, his eyes on the late news.Alan seemed to have taken off, probably to a bar, driven out of the house by Will and Don’s earlier activities.

_Mine._ Will ran his thumb down Don’s arm. _Mine.No one else’s.All mine.Forever._

Don looked up at him and smiled, like he could hear what Will was thinking.Don took Will’s hand in his and kissed it then turned back to the news.

Will knew intellectually that this perfect state couldn’t last forever.All relationships had their bumps and tough patches.But the memory of moments like this would get them through those bad times. _And the memory of what just happened upstairs._

Smiling, Will shifted position.His ass still ached pleasantly.Don had taken him hard and rough, pounding him into the unforgiving bedroom wall.Will was pretty sure that Don hadn’t planned on being so rough, but Will reveled in the times he could get Don to lose control.

While Don had fucked him, it had taken Will a few moments to realize that not all the sex sounds were coming from inside the room.He’d blinked then caught Don’s eye and gestured towards the next room.Don had grinned and given a little half-shrug.Will remembered thinking, _Whoa … serious exhibitionist streak here …_

Charlie’s whimpers through the wall had sparked an even harder fucking from Don and it had taken all of the strength in Will’s arms to stop himself from getting smashed flat into the wall.Don hadn’t needed to touch Will’s cock.With the hammering Will’s prostate was getting and the incredible sexuality of the situation, Will had orgasmed unaided when Don broke loose.

Don and Will had moaned together and another moan came from the other side of the wall like an erotic echo.Don had slammed into Will’s ass over and over until he was utterly spent.When he’d finally slowed, Will’s arms had been shaking, his knees trembling, his cum dripping down the wallpaper.

Don had collapsed against Will’s back, murmuring incoherent apologies mixed with satisfaction and adoration of various parts of Will’s anatomy.

As Will had gotten his breath back, he’d looked at the wall and smiled.He probably should have kept his mouth shut, since Charlie’s … voyeurism seemed like something Don never acknowledged, but Will couldn’t help it.The look on Don’s face when Will had proposed asking Charlie to join them next time was priceless.He didn’t know if Don took the proposal seriously – or if Will was even serious in making it – but it was hilarious to hear the scrambling noises from the other room as Charlie realized that he’d been found out.

The sound of a key in the front door brought Will back to the present.Charlie returning so soon?He’d figured that Charlie had raced off to hump his boyfriend.The key continued to rattle.For some reason Charlie was having trouble with the door.Finally the door sprang open … and slammed against the wall.

With the instinct honed by many years as an agent, Will was already pushing Don away and getting to his feet when Colby stormed into the room, Charlie on his heels.

“Get up, you bastard,” Colby snarled.“How dare you?”

“Colby!” Don said quickly.“Will did it to prove something to me.”

“Prove what?”Colby said, his voice hard. “That he can paw any man who comes along?”

“No, I explained it…” Charlie said helplessly, looking at Don.“I told him that it was to prove that I wouldn’t s-steal Will.”

“That’s crap,” Colby growled.

Will thought about arguing but he really didn’t care.He faced Colby squarely. “You know what, Colby?” he snapped.“Now that you’re here, I have a few things I’d like to say to _you_.”A jolt of pure anger shot through Will, making his voice shake.“How could you seduce Don and just dump him like that?”

Colby blinked at Will’s sudden offensive.

Will took a step closer to Colby and glared down at him.“You mess with him then drop him off a cliff.What the hell would have happened if I hadn’t been there?The first time you saw him was what, a week later?I’m the only one who saw him at his worst.”Will’s vision went red with the memory. “I’m the one who pulled him out of that room where he was tied, gagged, blindfolded, cut, pierced, and crouched in a pool of his own blood. _Damn you_ for sending him there!”

“That was you?”Charlie said faintly.“You’re the one who saved Don?”

Will ignored him, all his focus on Colby.Colby stepped back from his fury and Will followed, his fists clenched.He snarled, “ _Where were you when he needed you?_ ”

Colby’s face went pale and tight, but in Will’s view, there was no way Colby could feel bad enough for what he’d done.

“Will!”Don’s hand was on his arm and Will thought about shrugging it off, seeing how his Aikido matched up with Colby’s supposed expertise in hand-to-hand and jujitsu.This man had taken Don and dropped him in a hole so deep it had taken every medical and psychological skill Will had to pull him out.Will hadn’t known until this very moment, when he’d been given an outlet for his rage, how furious he still was at the situation Don had been in.Colby met his eyes unflinching and the promise of blood hung in the air between them.

“Will!” Don said again, his hand tightening.Will pushed Don’s hand away and studied Colby’s stance, looking for weaknesses.Colby tensed.Will’s eyes flicked to Colby’s side but he didn’t seem to have his gun.At least anywhere visible.A knife somewhere, for sure.He wondered if he could take Colby down before he got to it.Colby shifted, angling his body slightly to the right with most of his weight on the left foot.Colby would want to move quickly to grappling.Will’s body automatically readied for a _tenchinage_ or heaven-and-earth throw.

“Agent Stevens!”Don’s voice was whip-sharp with command.“Stand down!”

Will blinked and looked at Don.

“Back off, you protective hardass!”Don ground out.

Will stared at Don.Don’s face was angry and, something else, disgusted?That second emotion made Will’s stomach flip over.Trembling with the effort, Will stepped back from the brink.He moved away from Colby until his back was against the far wall.He reached for his breathing exercises and the calmness he’d worked so hard to earn in Aikido.

“Cole?”Charlie said cautiously from behind Colby.Colby’s hands were still clenched into fists.Charlie touched Colby’s arm.“Cole?” he said again and the fear in his voice seemed to get through to Colby.He broke his death-grip stare on Will and looked back at Charlie.

Charlie wrapped his arms around Colby’s waist like he planned on holding Colby back if Colby tried anything.Not that he’d make one bit of difference.

Don glared at Colby and then at Will, pinning them both into place.“This is stupid,” he snapped.“You two are acting like … I can’t think of a good analogy right now but something annoyingly protective.Like two mother bears with cubs.Charlie and I don’t need protecting.Well, maybe Charlie does –“

“Hey!” Charlie protested.

“— but I sure as hell don’t.” Don turned his attention fully to Will.“Are you going to wrap me in cotton for the rest of my life because of one stupid – okay, one series of stupid mistakes?”

Will frowned thoughtfully.Had he been trying to wrap Don in cotton?Don really had no idea how horrific it had been to pull him out of Channing’s dungeon, how frightened Will had been that Don wouldn’t even make it through that first night, how many times Will had bit back tears and anger when caring for Don’s broken body and soul.

Still, that wasn’t the real Don.It was a damaged Don, an aberration.The Don he’d fallen in love with was strong and capable, and nothing had changed that fundamental truth.

Will grimaced.“No, no more cotton.”His eyes went back to Colby.“Though that doesn’t excuse—“

Don threw up his hands.“You don’t even think that I’m adult enough to be responsible for my own messes!”

“But Don—“ Will started.

“‘But’ nothing!” Don snapped.“This stops right now.If you two have to go outside and beat the crap out of each other on the front lawn, do it.But that better be the end of it or else neither of you are going to be welcome at this house again.”

Don looked at Charlie who let go of Colby and nodded firmly.Charlie stepped around Colby and went and stood by Don, his arms folded.

Will swallowed. _So we get to a rough patch already …_

Will met Colby’s eyes across the room.He saw the same frustrated need to shelter Charlie as Will felt towards Don.Charlie definitely required more sheltering than Don did, but there was only so much that they could do to protect the two brothers from themselves, and from the world.Will better let go of this protective drive quickly or else he wasn’t going to let Don do his job anymore, the job that Don excelled at and loved.Colby too had to let Charlie do his work, even if that meant seeing terrible things or walking into a sniper’s line of sight.

Will and Colby’s eyes locked and a wealth of communication passed between them.Will suddenly understood Colby and thought that he saw that same understanding cross Colby’s face.

Will stepped slowly away from the wall and nodded.He forced his shoulders to relax.Colby’s fists loosened and he nodded as well.

Don looked back and forth between them, his trained eyes examining them.“Okay,” he said with a relieved sigh.“Good.”

“Are you going to beat each other up?” Charlie asked, his eyes still wide.

“No, angel,” Colby said tiredly.He pointed a warning finger at Will.“But you better not ever touch him again.”

Will held up his hands.“Once was enough to prove my point.”

“Hmm,” Colby said, his green eyes still wary. 

“You’ve got your Eppes and I’ve got mine,” Will said with a wry smile.“I think one is enough for anyone.”

A small smile lurked around Colby’s mouth.“True, very true.”He and Will might never be friends, but at least there wasn’t going to be bloodshed.

Don rubbed a shaking hand over his head.“I need a beer.”

“Me too,” Will agreed.

“I’ll take one, too,” Colby said.

“Yeah,” Charlie said with shuddering breath.“Beers all around.I’ll get them.”

Charlie disappeared in the direction of the kitchen and the three men looked at each other.

Colby’s eyes went to the TV which was now chattering about sports scores.“Hey, Dodgers beat the Angels.”

“Of course they did,” Don responded, slowly sitting back down on the couch.“Penny was pitching.”

Will smiled to himself. _Sports.Men’s equivalent of ‘talking about the weather.’_ Out loud he said, “Halos will get them tomorrow – Escobar’s pitching.”

“Escobar has lost his last seven games,” Don said carefully, his eyes flicking between Colby and Will.

Will came and sat back down where he’d been just a few minutes before.“Something’s wrong with his right arm.Probably gonna have to go on the DL.”

“But you still think Escobar can win?”Colby said, sitting himself on the edge of a chair near the TV.

“Hendrickson is pitching for the Dodgers.Not having a good year,” Will said.He eased himself back against the couch.

Colby nodded.“Wouldn’t know.More of a football guy myself.”

Will smiled.“Never would have guessed.You’re built like a linebacker."

“You went to college on a football scholarship, right?”Don asked, the strain in his body finally relaxing.  


Will put his arm around Don’s shoulders and was relieved when Don moved closer. _Perfection to rough patch to … Life as Don’s boyfriend will certainly keep me guessing._

“Wrestling scholarship,” Colby corrected.“But the Army paid for my college more than anything else.”

“Right,” Will nodded.“CID.”

“Yeah.”

Will hazarded a joke.“Quite a fall from there to the FBI.”

“Well,” Colby said, a genuine smile coming to his face and making him look much younger and more handsome.“It was a real demotion, but I make the best of it.”

Don gave a small smile.“Better watch what you say.I’m sure I can find a worse job for you.”

“I hope the DEA doesn’t have any openings,” Colby said.

Will laughed.“Your past is entirely too nice for the DEA.We only take scum of the earth, didn’t you know?”

Don and Colby laughed, as much from the release of tension than anything Will said.

Charlie stood in the doorway, four beer bottles in his hands.“What are you laughing about?” he demanded.“Are you talking about me?”

This time the laughter in the room was unforced and real and Charlie handed around the beers with a big smile on his face.

 


End file.
